Support for Women

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If you are a woman experiencing abuse please call our 24 hour crisis number anytime.905-529-8600

1 in 3 women will be assaulted or abused during their lifetime.1Many of these attacks will be the result of domestic violence and violence targeted against women.

Quite often, abuse creates harmful cycles in families and youth. Children who witness abuse can suffer the same emotional trauma as a woman who has been abused, and boys whose mothers were abused are more likely to show aggression at a young age.2

But there is help.

We give women who have experienced violence and abuse a safe place to stay while they rebuild their lives and return to the community. Our goal isn’t just to house women, but to help them regain the confidence and strength to live a healthy and independent life again.

Inasmuch House

Inasmuch House is a shelter for women fleeing domestic abuse or violence. It also accommodates women with children of any age — from infants to teenagers. In fact, some months there are more children than women staying at the shelter.

Like the mural on the support wall at Inasmuch House’s playground, we give women and youth support when they need it most. We help mothers and their children see a future with clear skies even after the trauma of violence and abuse.

How we help women & children

Safe Shelter

Women and their children can leave an abusive setting and find safe, free accommodation with us. While here, women and children have access to meals, clothing, laundry, and other personal supports.

Early Intervention

Our LEAF program helps youth who have witnessed abuse talk about their experience in a safe setting. Mothers also participate with their children to discuss safety plans, anger management, and how to recognize abuse.

Legal Advocacy

Our Legal Advocate will help victims of abuse identify and connect with legal services in the community. We also offer women unfamiliar with the Canadian legal context cultural and language interpretation.

Transitional Support

We’re also here for women when they’re ready to return to the community. We help women and their children establish safe lives after abuse with dignity and independence.

“I was a Jane Doe, now I’m a survivor. I am so grateful for this place. The women here helped me to see that my life wasn’t over. It was just going to be different.”

– guest at Inasmuch House

“I want you to know because of your help, my sister, brother and self were all able to go to good universities and get good jobs. I know some people will say oh we had it in us, but they do not know we needed help at one time, and we got it from many people, some of them were you. Thank you.”

– former child guest at Inasmuch House

Willow’s Place

Our new women’s drop-in provides a safe, female-identified space for women to receive compassionate care in a way that creates opportunities to build on their strengths. Any woman or person who identifies as a woman is welcome to drop in to access a kitchen, a washer and dryer, and participate in free, women-led activities like yoga, creative writing, craft workshops, and cooking classes.

The Anchor Program

In 2015 Mission Services of Hamilton received funding through the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Ontario’s Local Poverty Reduction Fund to develop an outside-the-box program to address housing needs among single mothers. The program will develop and use a new measure, the Housing Stability Risk Index, to identify single mothers who are at risk of losing their housing. It will then help match the mothers with trained volunteer mentors to create plans targeting individual risk areas and needs. By providing a toolkit to support better access to housing for single mothers, the program aims to improve their children’s academic performance by enhancing their and their mother’s housing stability.

Community & Education

Ending violence against women requires communities to come together to talk about change at the individual, community, and societal level.

That’s why staff at Inasmuch House and Willow’s Place are involved in education and awareness all across our community. We take part in campaigns to raise awareness about abuse and its effects on women, children, and society. We’re also happy to talk to your school, church, club or organization about issues related to violence against women.

Purple Scarves

In November, Inasmuch House joins other Violence Against Women shelters in Ontario to run the Wrapped in Courage Campaign. We sell beautiful purple scarfs to raise awareness and funds for local women’s shelters.

Every dollar raised goes to the shelter in your neighbourhood.

Contact us to find out where you can buy your own scarf for just $15. And remember to share your message of encouragement, hope, and support for abused women with us on social media.